Rijksmuseum × Musée du Louvre Cross-Fellowship Programme 2026

Institution: Rijksmuseum & Musée du Louvre
Deadline: 8 February 2025 (8:00 PM CEST)
Location: Amsterdam & Paris

The Rijksmuseum and the Musée du Louvre invite outstanding postdoctoral researchers to apply for the Rijksmuseum × Musée du Louvre Cross-Fellowship Programme 2026, a twelve-month research fellowship focused on the shared art and cultural history of France and the Netherlands.

The programme supports independent, object-based research drawing on the collections, archives, and institutional histories of both museums. The selected Fellow will be based for six months at the Rijksmuseum and six months at the Musée du Louvre, with full access to collections, research libraries, archives, and curatorial expertise at both institutions. The Fellowship aims to foster long-term scholarly collaboration and international exchange between museums and the academic community.

For the 2026 edition, proposals are particularly encouraged in the field of decorative arts and historical interiors, in line with the Rijksmuseum’s Department of Decorative Arts and the Louvre’s Département des Objets d’Art.

Fellowship

• Twelve-month postdoctoral fellowship

• Six months at the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam)

• Six months at the Musée du Louvre (Paris)

• Full access to museum collections, archives, libraries, and documentation

• Dedicated workspace to encourage scholarly exchange

• Academic supervision by curators at both institutions

• Participation in workshops, seminars, and research activities

• Administrative support from both museums

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

• Hold a PhD obtained no more than five years before the application deadline (PhD awarded in 2020 or later)

• Be postdoctoral researchers in art history, cultural history, museum studies, or related disciplines

• Demonstrate strong academic credentials and proven research experience

• Be proficient in English and French, spoken and written

Research focus requirements:

• Projects must address the historical role, symbolic meaning, material culture, or societal contexts of objects

• Proposals focused exclusively on artistic style, oeuvres, or technical analysis are not eligible

Funding

• Fellowship stipend: €45,000 (gross, subject to taxes and deductions) for twelve months

• Additional research travel funding: up to €5,000 per year for European collections and archives

• Visa fees covered for the Fellow (not for dependents)

• Fellows are responsible for accommodation, living expenses, and daily transportation